WNBA grows on TV ratings

09-17-2008 |

Panama Star DETROIT. The Women's National Basketball Association saw higher attendance, television ratings and online traffic in its 12th season as the professional league continued to draw more attention. The women's league was launched by the National Basketball Association in 1997 following the gold-medal performance of the U. S. women's team in the Olympics the year before. The gains this season are a positive sign for a league adding more non-NBA team owners to its roster, analysts said. “It may show the power of individual and active ownership as opposed to centralized control,” said Robert Boland, a professor of sports management at New York University. “It may also be the league is gaining some consistency and grass-roots support,” he added. “The reason why many leagues fail is they don't have the time to build enough support. ”

REUTERS